


Level

by Layla_Fae



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Twins, M/M, age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 13:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15995843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Layla_Fae/pseuds/Layla_Fae
Summary: Sehun has a twin brother who’s brilliant and thrives off the attention it in an egoistic steam. He is normally forgotten and he convinces himself that it's better off that way.Junmyeon is an older college student that is on the same level as his twin but doesn’t look over Sehun. Instead, he looks for him in everything and puts him above a lot more then he should.Something is bound to happen for both of them at the end of this and it might turn out better than either of them expected.“Funny how you two have the same face, but you’re the cute one.”





	Level

Sehun’s worse fear was attention.

He hated the idea of eyes on him and people actually paying attention to him. It was so foreign to him that he just rather not deal with it. It made him clammy and nervous, wanting to run away from the devotion forever, rather good or bad. He just wasn’t meant for it in this life. He wasn’t the one to hold that valuable of a thing. He wasn’t worth it in the end.

This is just one of the many characteristics that define him from his twin brother, who was everything that Sehun wasn’t.

Sehun’s twin brother was five minutes older and was the tenfold better version of himself. They shared the same face, even down their crescent moon shaped eyes when they smiled and the lines that formed around their chins when they frowned. They didn’t appear the same to anyone else though since his brother had big framed glasses and wore his hair parted to one side. Sehun grew out his hair to the point it frizzed out of his split ends and his bangs hanged in front of his eyes. His brother preferred soft colored sweaters and cardigans with khakis, while he wore baggy jeans and oversized hoodies. His brother was trying to image the perfect child, while Sehun wanted nothing more than to fade in the background. 

His brother was the smartest person that Sehun ever meant. He was always right with his answers and always confident about them. He was never afraid to do anything because he already knew how to do it and knew if he didn’t, he was smart enough to figure it out. Sehun couldn’t say the same for himself, in all honesty. 

But from the extreme intelligence that his brother processed, he has gained everything he wanted and everything that Sehun didn’t want. His brother got all the love and affection from their parents. He received it more and more with each passing grade and national award he got at some competition somewhere. He gains all the glory and compliments and praises that Sehun never really experience for himself or for anything he did. His parents didn’t care about his B on a spelling test that he worked so hard for when he was in the sixth grade, in comparison to the fridge and freezer fully covered in his brother’s As and the spelling bee trophy that served as a centerpiece of their dining table for a year and a half. Sehun realized what his position was in the family was then, and quietly went along with it. 

Sehun and his brother weren’t close, to say at the very least. The two boys just didn’t get along. Sehun always found him arrogant and overbearing to talk to about anything. It was like a dog barking in his face constantly. He didn’t talk with Sehun; he talked at him and he did it in a very belittling way. His brother didn’t like talking to him because he was short with him and slow in thought. He couldn’t keep up with the advanced conversations he always tried to throw at him and he defiantly didn’t want to stay around for his bragging any more than he had too. 

His desire to be unseen and left alone made it hard to socialize, to make any friends. He was a loner in school and didn’t really want to be involved in a lot of programs. He was in theater, but only as a backstage crew member. He didn’t envy the actors around him for their spot in the light like most people did. He would rather die than get anywhere near that. 

One friend that Sehun was lucky enough to make though was Kim Jongin. He was the biggest star in school. He was the best dancer and actor on stage, along with his boyfriend Kyungsoo and they were idolized as the power couple. Along with the attention came a lot of hate and judgment from the other students around them, even some that pretended and passed off as their friend. Sehun thinks that’s why Jongin kept him closer than most. The boy knew that he wasn’t like that and didn’t desire the attention that Jongin held. He wasn’t going to give him any shit for it or spread it behind his back when he wasn't looking. Sehun already knew what was happening to the both of them constantly. They didn’t need his help with that. 

Sehun’s brother made it very clear when they entered high school as freshmen two years ago that he didn’t want to be socialized with him. He didn’t want to be brought down by anyone that wasn’t on his level. He also told Sehun to stay away from anyone in his group of friends, who were the ones on his level. Sehun only nodded, only wanting to not get in the way. It wasn’t hard to believe that most people didn’t know they were even related, much less twins. It wasn’t a surprise when they didn’t know that Sehun even existed really, considering that no one knew him. They only knew about his brother. That was how it was supposed to be.

Luckily, Jongin wasn’t on his brother level, which was clear through how Jongin cared more about dancing than actual school. Half the time Kyungsoo scowled at him for being so regardless towards his studies but Sehun couldn’t blame him. School was nothing but a bore anyway. 

One day after school, near the end of the first week, Jongin invites Sehun over to his house to hang out. Sehun knows the boy just wants to secretly show him his new car that he got for his birthday, knowing he won’t get bitter or even really comment on it. Sehun agrees, not bothering to text his parents for permission. They had plans later on tonight for an event his brother was attending. He didn’t expect to be missed.

They drive out into the nicer neighborhoods in town. Jongin drove with ease as he held Kyungsoo’s hand in the passenger seat. The music blared out and over the small conversations that the couple held as Sehun looked out of the window in the back seat. He liked peaceful rides like these where he could breathe and not think. 

They arrived at a long line of houses and slow down till they got to the end, where they approached a gate. Jongin punched in the code to open them and drove inside the garage. Sehun didn’t comment about how it reminded him of the celebrities’ house he sees on television, or how the four cars besides the parked one he got out of him seemed foreign and luxurious. He did consider, though, how shitty it must be to forget the code to the gates. Would Jongin have to call someone to come open it for him or just park outside and walk in? He pushed the thought away. He assumed it was a problem he would never have to worry about anyway.

They walked inside the house through the garage door. They entered into a very large kitchen that was brutally white, to the point that stung Sehun’s eyes to look at the counter. The floor was wooden and the three pairs of feet made noise with every step, making him feel like a bother. He rolled his foot the best he could and walked behind the two other boys slowly, keeping his head down.

He followed them carefully. He glanced up to make sure they were still near him and caught sight of someone at the dining table in the next room. He sat right in the visual way of the doorframe, hunched over a sea of copy paper and yellow pages. He wrote with a shaky black pen and a hovering hand. His hair was black and swooshed to the sides in stringy curves and a sharp straight line of white stood in the middle. He sat up a bit to reach a long arm out for a far-off drifting cup of coffee. He couldn’t see any more of his face since the shadowy overcast his body caused in contrast to the sunlight behind him, but Sehun could already tell he was gorgeous. 

“How was school?” The figure asked as Sehun took small steps into the room. He was afraid to get too close, yet he longed to close the space between them.

“It was alright.” Sehun heard Jongin respond. 

“The new car still working?”

“Yeah. It’s still pretty smooth.” Jongin answered. Sehun walked in to see Jongin on one side of the table end and Kyungsoo on the other, already taking his seat and opening a coke. 

Jongin raised his arm in his direction. “This is Oh Sehun. My friend from school.” 

Sehun looked to the other male now staring up at him from his own seat. He got a better view of his face, which was small, with big eyes and high cheekbones. He smiled up at him and stood as he extended his hand for a shake. Sehun reacted the move and smiled the best he could. He felt himself begin to shake and became fully aware of his dirty black hoodie and messy hair. The other boy was in a white button up and slacks, as if he was a grown man with a job. He didn’t seem like an adult to Sehun. He seemed kind and open.

“Hey.” His voice was like linen, soft and light. “I’m Jongin’s older brother. Nice to meet you.” 

Sehun struggles to find the name he is searching while keeping the hand in his in a shaking motion. “M-Minseok?”

Jongin and Kyungsoo burst out in laughter as the other man looks at him with wide eyes and a blooming grin. He looks at Sehun with an amused light in his eyes.

“Wow. That’s not the first time I’ve gotten that before.” The man lets go of his hand and sits back down. 

“This is Junmyeon.” Jongin calms down enough to explain. “This is my other older brother.” 

“The cursed of being the middle child,” Junmyeon says in a fake distressed voice with a hand to his head. “Always mistaken or forgotten.” 

Kyungsoo snorts as the groups laugh again. Sehun takes a seat in the chair beside him, across from Junmyeon. He decides then that Junmyeon was his new favorite name. 

Jongin begins to explain that Junmyeon was currently a university student at the high Ivy-League school with the nearby big city. He also tells him the Junmyeon was the valedictorian of their current high school, ranking himself the one with the highest GPA to be recorded there in all of the school’s history. He was given a medal and a scholarship for the honor and had his picture taken in the newsletter for it, which his mom hung with Jongin’s dancing trophies and Minseok’s doctorate degree. 

Junmyeon didn’t really react to Jongin telling him about his achievements. Sehun glanced over to find him listening but not smirking in victory or gloating in his own glory over it. That’s what his brother always did, and he found it favorably odd that Junmyeon wasn’t like that. 

The four boys went on to talk about everything that came up. Jongin complained about his history report due next week and Kyungsoo ranted about his stupid band dictator. Sehun only listened along to them all, as Junmyeon told them not to worry about. 

“High school doesn’t matter as much as you think.” The older boy reasoned with them. “It doesn’t mean anything really. Just get through the four years of bullshit and you’ll be fine.”

“If the bullshit doesn’t kill me in the process.” Kyungsoo shot at him and Sehun laughed at the look both of them made at each other. 

Sehun just sat there and laughed most of the time, since Junmyeon always tried to lighten the mood with some corny jokes. Jongin would sigh at them and ask him why he was such a dork. It came to one joke in particular where Junmyeon messed up the punch line and Jongin covered his face with his hand while Sehun and Kyungsoo laughed at the screwup. Jongin asked him why he was like this and yelled at them to stop laughing, they were only encouraging him.

Sehun nearly fell off his chair. He really came close to it whenever Junmyeon smiled at him after each joke, like he was actually thankful that the boy found it funny enough to honestly laugh at. Like it made him feel welcomed and appreciated. 

The conversation goes on after Kyungsoo makes him a cup of tea and the dogs are brought into the house before dark. The fluffy white one named Vivi jumped right into his lap and let him pet him as he took a nap there. He loved him the most out of everyone in the room.

“That one is nothing but a brat.” Jongin snarled at him. “All he does is whine for treats.” 

“He’s nothing but a little angel.” Sehun cooed at the puppy in his arms. He always wanted a dog but his parents always said no and didn’t fall into his demand. He even asked his twin to ask for one, knowing his parents would get him one, but the boy refused, saying he didn’t see the appeal in such a childish thing. Sehun knew he only said no because he could.

He looked back up to find Junmyeon staring at him with a curious look in his eyes. Sehun felt his nerve tensed instantly.

“You said your surname was Oh, right?” Junmyeon asked him.

“Yes.” Sehun knew what was coming.

Junmyeon asked him if he was related to his brother. Sehun thought about how no one at the table knew him in any relations to his brother, including the two boys that he held a friendship with since freshmen year. He dreaded this moment. 

“Yeah. He’s my twin.” Sehun confessed quietly. He hoped that they just didn’t hear him and move on with things, but he glanced back up to find three wide pairs of eyes at him. Jongin’s mouth was dropped and Junmyeon looked at him with confusion written in his expression. Kyungsoo just looked disturbed.

“You have a twin?”

“And you didn’t mention it before now?”

“I didn’t even know you had siblings!”

“Yeah.” Sehun felt himself shift under all their eyes. “We don’t really get along well… We’re not really that close…” 

“We’re bad friends,” Kyungsoo mumbled through his hands rubbing over his face. Jongin and he laughed at him. He saw Junmyeon force a grin out, but he kept his eyes on him. Sehun didn’t know if the look he held was good or bad. He became nervous and remembered again why he didn’t tell anyone about his twin. Too much attention.

Sehun was invited to stay for dinner afterward, but declined, saying his mother expected him back for dinner. Jongin drove him back to his house, and neither of them mentions anything about the empty driveway. Sehun just walked into the empty house like normal and heated up the frozen dinner they left for him. He felt himself become completely at ease once he convinces himself he fully alone.

Sehun finds himself going over to Jongin more often. Not every day, but every day he knew Junmyeon would be there. He enjoyed seeing him as much as he liked petting Vivi.

More time passed till one day, Jongin asked him to spend the weekend over at his place. He told him he had family coming in, like his oldest brother and his husband, and they told him that they wanted to meet all his friends from school. It turned out only Sehun and Kyungsoo were invited, along with another boy named Lay who was a year older and a close friend to Jongin through the dance team.

Sehun left a note on the fridge for his parents to find when he left that afternoon. They went out on a trip earlier that morning with his brother and where possibly going to be back before dark. Sehun just didn’t want to stay around anymore.

Sehun arrived with Lay, given a ride by Jongin, and they had lunch with the Kim’s. They were a very nice group of people who treated him kindly. He liked Minseok who was the oldest son. He sat there quietly while his husband Chen made loud comments and laughed. They looked at Sehun with interest in their eyes and they told him that they knew who he was right away from the description that Jongin gave them earlier. Sehun didn’t know if that was a good thing or not but went along with it anyway. He liked them nonetheless. 

He sat across from Junmyeon at dinner, who sat next to his father at the end of the table. The two men mostly talked politics and such, things that Sehun wasn’t exactly fluent on. The father would casually turn his attention to Minseok for sports or ask Kyungsoo about the process of the music festival coming in the spring. Sehun thought he caught Junmyeon looking at him a few times, seeing a glimpse of his eyes before looking down at his plate or such. Sehun didn’t know how to feel about that, but he felt a smile on his cheeks at the notion. 

After dinner, the group gathered in the living room to talk. Sehun sat on the farthest end of the couch, closest to the door as the sons sat on the floor and told stories and such. Junmyeon was the one to bring up the tale of how they all went skiing on a frozen pond with roller blades on vacation one time. Minseok was still salty for being the one who got yelled at for Jongin falling down and breaking his foot. Jongin told him he should have caught him, and everyone laughed at the outrageous expression on his face. Chen was giggling about it throughout the whole night, resting on Sehun’s shoulder for support. 

It was good and fun to be in that circle of friends. Sehun felt like he belongs there or something and wondered if this was what a group of friends, or even a family, was supposed to feel like. He felt whole and accepted, even though he hadn’t said much and just met the majority of them.

Everything was great till there was a knocking at the door. 

“I’ll get it.” Jongin volunteered. He got up to answer the door before anyone else. Sehun wondered if anyone else was mentioned on the list of who was to be here for the evening since he already thought everyone was already here.

The door opened and the other side acted out as a mirror to him. It was the same face but different clothing and hair, as usual. Sehun was sure he and his twin shared the same frown though, which was deep with disapproval when they shared eye contact. Sehun couldn’t help but mentally asked the universe why him.

His twin pushed Jongin aside and forward to enter into the living room with no greeting of any kind. He didn’t even ask permission. He just walked in like he owned the place, glaring at Sehun the whole time before he was standing before the group, holding a stack full of papers in one hand and his car keys in the other. He finally looked forward in a stoic snarl.

“Junmyeon. I need you.” His brother spoke in a serious voice.

“Can it not wait? I’m with my family.” Junmyeon sounded annoyed but patiently spoke to him, like he was dealing with a child.

“No, it can’t.” He sounded insulted that he was even being challenged. “It’s very urgent.”

“Too urgent to wait till Monday?”

“Yes.” His brother’s voice was demanding and harsh. 

Junmyeon looked away from him, eyes closed, and sighed deeply before getting up from his seat and excusing himself from the group. Sehun actually really didn’t want him to go, but he walked to and up the stairs with his brother behind him, glancing at him with a hard look in his eyes. 

The rest of them were dreadfully quiet until they heard the closing of the door. 

“Okay, who the fuck was that?” Minseok asked them. 

Jongin told him, along with mentioning that he was also Sehun’s twin brother. He was really hoping that he leaves that part out.

Chen looked over at him with wide eyes. “Really? He looked like he wanted to hit you when he walked in.” 

“He said it was urgent.” Lay kindly reasoned with them. 

“Very rudely, I might add,” Kyungsoo mumbled under his breath.

Sehun tensed under the looks they all gave him. He knew this was bad and they were going to judge him based off that since twin usually acted the same. 

“I-I’m so sorry for that.” Sehun tried his best. “I don’t know what he was thinking.” 

“It’s alright. We’re not blaming you for it.” Jongin reassured him about it. “You can’t help who you’re related too.”

“Still, that was so…”

“Weird?”

“Yeah.” Minseok agreed to his husband’s suggestion. “He acts like he working at a law firm. He’s just in high school for Christ’s sake.”

“He’s just that way,” Kyungsoo explained. “He’s the smartest kid in school and he thinks he above everything.”

Sehun didn’t react to the statement but he did secretly agree with it, even though the others were unaware of how true that really was. 

About an hour goes by before they hear footsteps going down the steps. Sehun turns his head to find his brother exiting the house. He walked quickly and kept his head forward like he was focused on something. He left without a word of acknowledgment. He didn’t even turn back to glare at Sehun. He knew that he was mad about this and that he was going to get it once he came home after his time here.

Junmyeon came down shortly afterward. Sehun thought about how good he looked he looked in those tampered leg joggers and oversized blue sweatshirt. His hair was now messy though, with a tired expression on his face. Sehun was actually concerned how for him and wondered what his brother did to take so much energy out of him like that. 

They all decided to call it a day then. Minseok and Chen decided to load up in the car and leave then, hugging everyone goodbye as they went back to the hotel, saying they will be back tomorrow morning after breakfast. Sehun waved him away before following Jongin and Kyungsoo up to the guest bedroom. He was told by the Kim’s that he would be sharing the bed with Kyungsoo but he quickly learns that wasn’t the case when Kyungsoo snuck his bag over to Jongin room when Sehun asked him if he wanted to take his turn in the bathroom first.

The guest bathroom room was jointed along to Junmyeon’s room, which really surprised when he saw Junmyeon in there already, in old shorts and a t-shirt. Sehun realized then that he hadn’t been completely alone with Junmyeon till that moment and there was no turning back now since he was there and smiling at him while brushing his teeth. Sehun smiled back but felt instantly uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to do. 

Junmyeon spits into the sink and wiped his mouth before Sehun caught himself staring through the mirror and finally looked away. 

“So, you really are his twin, huh?” Junmyeon smiled at him again. 

Sehun tried to smile back in a casual way. He was afraid it would look painful forced. 

“Y-Yeah...” He hated how his voice sound.

“He kind of hinted at it earlier,” Junmyeon mentioned. He wasn’t looking at Sehun but he had a hardened look in his eyes that made him wonder if he was annoyed with him. He knew he wasn’t the best at conversations, but he didn’t think he was that bad. 

“Yeah...” Sehun thought of something else to say. “We’re not as close as you expect...” 

Junmyeon bit the side of his lip as he kept up the smile. He looked crazy but Sehun wasn’t going to tell him that. 

“You might not want to talk to me anymore after I say this,” Junmyeon let out the heavy statement in a light airy chuckle, still smiling with a hard look in his eyes. “But I don’t really care for your brother. He’s just… a fucking prick.” 

That was the first time Sehun ever heard anyone speak poorly of his brother. It was the first time anyone saw who he really was in Sehun’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. That’s rude to s-“

“-You’re right,” Sehun spoke steadily this time and loud enough to sound like an average person instead of a wimpy little kid. “He’s a jerk. But no one sees that though. Not normally, at least.”

Junmyeon looked at him with wide eyes. “You two really don’t get along, do you?”

“No. But that’s because he doesn’t consider me on his level.”  
“What the fuck does that even mean?” Junmyeon began to rub face wash on his round cheek as the water ran in the sink. “He says that sometimes and I just don’t understand it.”

“He has this self-made system, where he categorizes people he meets into two levels. The lower level are the people who aren’t good enough to be around him. The upper level is his level, where only the people he’s willing to waste time with is.”

“Who actually thinks like that?” Junmyeon was truly baffled at the information before him. 

“He only judges people off their intelligence. It’s the only thing that really matters to him.” 

Sehun recalled one time when they were younger, and they were playing chess together in the family room. Their parents just bought a fancy wooden set that held all the pieces and board for other games, but his brother only wanted to play chess since it was the only thing to keep him entertained. Sehun didn’t like chess. He didn’t understand how all the piece could move and what all the rules were. His brother didn’t offer any help to him, only watching his struggle with each turn and signing annoyingly whenever he took too long. 

During one game, his brother became completely fed up with him when he began to cry over his foreseeable lose. He never won against his brother and it always left him feeling useless and small with a huge headache and a dry throat. His brother screamed as he knocked all the pieces off the board and stormed off, swearing to never play with him again, since he only bored him and wasn’t fun to play with at all. He called him slow and pathetic and all the other big words that he didn’t know the meaning to. He just sat there and cried.

It wasn’t long before his brother invited another boy to play chess with. Sehun sat in their shared room and eavesdropped to downstairs to hear the wooden pieces shifting and the clicking of the clock. Finally, his brother got frustrated again with the lack of competitiveness and yelled at the other boy the same way he yelled at him. His brother stopped playing with other children after that. He stopped speaking to Sehun after that as well.

“That’s such shit.” Junmyeon rinsed his face with cold water. 

“At least he declares you on his level,” Sehun told the older boy. “I was kicked out of that when I was six. He has really spoken to me since.”

Junmyeon wiped his face dry with a towel as he looked back at Sehun. He looked sorry for him and he regrets telling Junmyeon all of it instantly.

“Just because I have a decent GPA doesn’t mean I want to be his friend.”

“He doesn’t believe in friends,” Sehun told him without thinking. He never told anyone any of this before, and now it was all coming out like word vomit. “He only believes in _Sudan_.”

Junmyeon gave him a confused look. Probably because of the word he just used. He remembered being clueless as well when it first came out of his brother’s mouth at dinner one night. He had to look it up later, and it all made sense. 

“ _Sudan_?”

“Yeah. It's Korean for ‘tool’.” He said. “Because he only wants to use you for what he needs from you.” 

Sehun and Junmyeon talk for the rest of the night. They eventually got off the topic of his brother and onto other things like school and how Junmyeon was trying to get into law school to be an attorney. He talked about how he hated some of his professors and how some other students were such douches. It was somewhat funny to Sehun. The golden poster boy of goodness, Kim Junmyeon, bitching about his class work and how much he wants to sleep half the time. He was more like himself then Sehun could ever image and it only makes him want to be around him even more. He was what he liked himself to be and, for once, he wasn’t bitter about not being it, because Junmyeon made it seem okay to not be that.

Sehun was invited to spend another night with the Kim’s, saying he could go home after school that next day. Sehun refused the offer, saying his mother demanded he come home that day. He didn’t tell them that he mother actually didn’t know he was still out. He didn’t tell them that he doubted that she even cared. 

A part of him knew that he had to go, that he was overstaying his welcome and that it was best for him to make his exit. Another part of him really wanted to stay though. He stayed up half the night with Junmyeon and stayed up thinking about him the other half of the night. It was nice to have someone to talk to, considering he didn’t get that pleasure a lot at home, with his family being so invested into things.

Junmyeon drove him home after lunch, letting him pick the song he wanted to hear on the radio. He had a nice car like Jongin, but it was messy and took him some time to clear out the passenger seat for him. Sehun didn’t dare to look into the backseat. The driver seat was a better view anyway.

The ride wasn’t long sadly. Junmyeon pulled up into the empty driveway of the suburban house and asked him where his parents were. Sehun told him that they were probably out running errands. His brother was most likely home though. Junmyeon wished him luck before handing him his phone and asking for his number. Sehun put it in and tried to act natural from the happy screaming fest that he was hosting in his head. It only got louder as Sehun walked inside, knowing Junmyeon was watching him walk in, like a gentleman. 

His brother was home as expected though. Sehun just went straight into his room and closed the door behind him. He knew it wouldn’t come right away, but it would come later on. It did when Sehun just got out of the shower and was drying his hair with a towel. His brother busted in without knocking and asked him what his relation was with Kim Junmyeon. 

“I’m friends with his younger brother, Jongin.” 

His brother simply huffed at the sentence. Sehun knew it was because he neither didn’t believe it or didn’t like Jongin for being lower his level. Or the fact that he used the word ‘friend’.

His brother just told him to stay out of his way and stay away from his people. Sehun only nodded while looking at the floor. He didn’t look up until he heard the door close. He breathed again.

Sehun always thought that his attention span was the reasoning behind his dumbness. His attention span wasn’t longer than ten seconds and it was the reason why he never listens to other people around him when they told him to do something or how to do something. It was a bad thing to have in life. It defiantly was a bad thing to have in school. But it actually came in handy for Sehun this time, as he easily let himself not listen to his brother and his demand for him. Sehun was back at the Kim’s that week, talking to Junmyeon like he forgets he wasn’t allowed to do. Whoops.

It was even better now because when Sehun didn’t see Junmyeon at his home during the week, he texted him while he was in his dorm room at school. Sehun would be in class sometimes and Junmyeon texted him, bragging about how he could nap between classes. He would ask if Sehun was jealous and he would reply back saying he really was every time. It was so romantic.

Junmyeon became the highlight of Sehun’s day. He loved those random texts that he got at different parts of the day that varied from _“I just passed a sorority girl crying over her spilled Starbucks.”_ to _“I stayed up till two last night because sleep is for the week.”_ to _“Hey. What are you doing today?”_

The last one was his favorite because it usually turned to Sehun being picked up by the older boy after school and taking him somewhere with him. Even if it’s just grocery shopping or a trip through the drive-thru. It meant the world to Sehun because he got to see his new friend who didn’t make him nervous or bad. If anything, he made Sehun feel wanted and alive for once.

Sehun still hung out with Jongin and Kyungsoo most days. They were his best friends out of it all, but he was still hesitant and nervous to tell them about the little daily conversions and little rare trips he had with Junmyeon. He was Jongin’s older brother after all, and he was afraid he wouldn’t be okay with it. Sehun didn’t know how to handle if it came to that.

It all came out though when Sehun got into Jongin’s car one day after school. Kyungsoo got in the back, which never happens, so Sehun knew it was coming when he sat down in the passenger seat. He buckled up and turned to find Jongin looking at him. 

“Before we go anywhere in both this car and in our friendship, I have to know,” He said in a serious tone. “Are you trying to screw my brother?” 

“N-no! No, it’s nothing like that!” Sehun tried to defend himself. “It’s not like that! I-I’m not trying t-to do-“

Jongin and Kyungsoo were laughing at this point. Sehun finally stops babbling enough to realize they were joking and began his recovery from the heart attack he just had. 

“I’m sorry.” Jongin put his hand on Sehun’s shoulder, still laughing. Kyungsoo was completely dead in the back.

“I’m really not trying to screw your brother. I’m sorry.” Sehun said slowly to make sure it all got out in one go.

“No, no. Don’t be. It’s fine.” Jongin smiled at him. “I don’t mind. I think it’s cute that you and Junmyeon hang out together.”

Sehun felt his face become hot. “Really?”

“Yeah. God knows Junmyeon needs more friends, and you’re a good person. And he likes you.”

“A lot,” Kyungsoo added in with raised brows like he knew this too well.

“Yeah. A lot.” Jongin reflected that look.

“So… You’re not mad?” 

“Of course not!” 

“We were waiting for you to tell us, but we got impatience,” Kyungsoo explained. “We’ve known about it this whole time.”

“How?” Sehun asked them.

“Because we have eyes and we can look over to your phone and see his name on their every second of the day,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Yeah, seriously Sehun. You text Junmyeon more times then you speak in a day.” 

“Well, yeah, but that’s not saying much.” Sehun joked. All three of them were actually shocked by the fact he told something close to a joke and all laughed. It felt great. Better than normal, at least.

School went by fast and as a second thought to Sehun, and before he knew it, it was ending within the week. 

He would be a senior next year, which explained why he was sitting at the honors ceremony for seniors right now, acting as if he actually cared about anyone in front of him on stage(other than Lay, of course). He sat in the audience beside Jongin, wondering why he was made to come here in the first place. His brother made a speech at the ceremony, congratulating the graduating seniors as the new upcoming class president. He said he looked forward to seeing all of them in the future as his collages one day. Sehun knew that was more meant as an underlining stab than a cheerful farewell. 

Summer finally came and Sehun spent more time at the Kim’s then he did at his own home. Most of the time Jongin would be out with Kyungsoo on dates or teaching classes at the local dancing studio for kids, which meant that Sehun was mostly there on Junmyeon’s request. 

Junmyeon always invited him over, saying he was lonely since this was his first summer without classes and he was too lazy to do chores. Sehun came in a heartbeat, usually just walking out of the door instead of asking his parents first. He doubts they even knew he was gone, considering that the favorite was away on college trips and such.

Sehun was starting to like Junmyeon more than he should. At first, it was a deep friendship that he considered himself too attached too. Then it grew into a small crush. Just a small harmless crush that didn’t mean much and shouldn’t have stayed as long as it did. Now he was all that Sehun thought about most of the day. He was his thought when he woke up and the last one he talked to at night. He remembered receiving a text from the older boy saying goodnight, out of the blue and unexpected. He knew the expanding feeling in his stomach was more than a small crush then.

One afternoon, while it was raining outside and they were the only ones home, Sehun was sitting with Junmyeon on the floor in front of the couch, half watching a movie they both seen before. Sehun didn’t exactly understand why the family never sat on the couch but never question it.

Despite the height difference, Junmyeon let Sehun lean his head onto his shoulder and hang his bent knee over into his open lap by a bit, the older boy’s hand resting on it. It wasn’t full on cuddling, but the fact that Junmyeon rested his own head on his still made him feel good. He bit back his lips from forming a smile. 

Sehun knew this wasn’t exactly ideal. Junmyeon was older after all, just freshly 21, and Sehun just turned 17 that month prior. It wasn’t that big of a gap and but Junmyeon was in college and about to graduate before he knew it. Sehun knew he would be somewhat of a burden to Junmyeon in regards of where he would want to go in life. Besides, Sehun’s parents weren’t very active in his life but active enough to not approve of the two if they ever knew. He also knew his twin brother would have a cow if it actually happened. He would probably kill Sehun and then Junmyeon if he still angry enough. 

“I’m going to miss you when you go back to school in the fall,” Sehun whispered as he snuggled closer to the other boy. He didn’t know why he said it like that, but he meant it nonetheless. Junmyeon was the best friend he ever had in his life and to be apart from him after three months of constant joy was almost heart-wrenching. 

“It’s okay. One day, you won’t have to miss me.” Junmyeon let his response hang in the air like that and Sehun didn’t know what he meant by it. 

“I’m not smart enough for your school, Myeonie.” Sehun just assumed what he always let people assume. Junmyeon thought he was just as smart as his brother, just because they were twins. But that wasn’t the case.

“You don’t have to go to my school,” Junmyeon explained. “But maybe one day we can both live off campus in the city somewhere. I can continue getting my masters while working and you can go to school somewhere else. As long as it’s local, of course.”

“I will be most likely working, in all honesty,” Sehun told him. Junmyeon looked at him with a raised brow. He got the message from Sehun’s statement. 

Junmyeon sat up then, parting from Sehun to get a pen and notebook. He sat back down next to him again before opening up to a clean page. 

“Pull up your transcript,” Junmyeon ordered.

Sehun knew this was going to embarrass him more to the older boy. The could end it all for them. 

“We don’t have to do this.” Sehun tried to explain to him. 

“Pull it up,” Junmyeon repeated himself. He was focused and determined. 

Sehun frowned and hesitated but obeyed anyway. He handed his phone to Junmyeon and watched him from behind as his hand moved swiftly in his writing and his back muscles shift underneath his skin as he worked on calculating his GPA. Sehun was ready to cry at this point. He should have pulled away from him before how. To keep this thing they had alive instead of being selfish and letting it crumble in front of him like this.

Finally, Junmyeon turned around to him and Sehun was ready to crumble. 

“It isn’t bad. It’s really not.” 

“You’re being nice.” 

“No, I’m not. You can easily get into a university with this.” 

Sehun didn’t know how to react to that. He didn’t know that. 

“But I didn’t take any advanced classes.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s mainly about college credit in those.”

“I failed Chemistry during my freshmen year.” 

“You had Mrs. Potter, who was a teacher I even struggled with.” 

“I won’t get that many scholarships.” Sehun suddenly thought of. 

“You’ll get some.” Junmyeon typed something into his phone in the search bar. “You’ll probably have to take out a loan but that’s not the worst thing.” 

“I’m not good enough for your school.” 

“It’s still better to have a something instead of nothing just because you can’t get the best.”

Sehun had nothing to say to that. He felt his lungs struggling to inhale air inside him as Junmyeon stared at him. He was mad or annoyed or judging or anything. He was looking at him like a normal human being and Sehun didn’t know why that affected him so much. It was the first time he had someone’s undivided attention that wasn’t negative or unwanted. It was the first time he didn’t mind it. 

Junmyeon took him by the hand and pulled him closer to him. “Come to look. It’s okay.” 

Sehun sat up and looked at the number that he was surprised by. He didn’t expect himself to actually have a decent number. His grades always looked worse when his parents compared them to his brother’s. 

Junmyeon pulled up a list of local colleges and universities for him, telling him about each one and how to get in. Sehun was curious about one and asked if he could apply.

“Of course. You can always apply.” Junmyeon told him. “Just because you apply doesn’t mean you have to go either.” 

Sehun hummed in thought. He was slightly overwhelmed.

Junmyeon sat back away from it so Sehun could look at it all for himself. He was thinking deeply about it and it felt good to finally get started. It felt good just to know he could have this really. It made him feel like he wasn’t such a failure after all. 

After a while, Sehun took a deep breath to clear his mind. The information was starting to blur over each other and run in together. He rubbed his face when he felt a pair of hands on his waist and pull him back into an open pair of legs. He reclined back to the chest behind his back and rested his head on the left shoulder that seemed to be saved for him. A pair of arms were traced up to his chest and hips and a hand cupped over the underneath of his shoulder. He breathes in the familiar scent of a man and felt the warmth of a familiar body and melted into it. It was impulsive and thoughtless but Sehun closed his eyes anyway and breathed. He forgot all about college and the future and everything. He just wanted now, with him.

Sehun realized later it was because Junmyeon was like him, that he sometimes wanted someone to notice him, to pay attention to him, even if it scared him. He took that risky action to just have Sehun look and think about him again. Just like how Sehun always came over when the older boy asked or text him first. All because he just wanted Junmyeon’s attention again, without realizing till minutes before that he wasn’t afraid of it. 

They both been forgotten and looked over before. It only made sense they find what they really want in each other.

Sehun breaths again as he vaguely heard Junmyeon’s swift heartbeat that made him nervous yet excited. He didn’t even hear Junmyeon’s question from the sensation hardening his back. 

“What?” Sehun asked him.

“Do you know what you also need to do?” Junmyeon asked him again as he ran his fingers through Sehun’s hair.

“No. What?” Sehun was too close to his face for him to be calm.

“Get a haircut.” Junmyeon smiled softly at him. “I think it will bring out your face more.” 

Sehun snickered at him as he placed his hand on the older boy’s.

“I don’t want people to recognize me as my brother,” Sehun told him his biggest fear.

Junmyeon brushed his frizzy bangs out of his face, clearing up his vision. “It’s just…”

“What?”

“Funny.”

Sehun was confused. He felt his head tilt away from.

Junmyeon smirked. “Funny how you two have the same face, but you’re the cute one.” 

Sehun only had a second to respond, before the pounding knock at the door made his jump in freight. He sat up and whipped his head to the closed and knocked on the door. 

“Kim Junmyeon!” He knew that voice on the other end. The face to it was the same to his. “Kim Junmyeon open this door!”

Junmyeon groaned and rolled his eyes. “No offense, but your brother has the worse timing.”

“He really does.” Sehun agreed. He looked down at his position and knew this was not good. He couldn’t be found by his twin in between an older boy’s legs. He would tell his parents and they would have a cow, if not the whole damn barn.

Before he could move, a familiar pair of arm pulled his back again, onto a familiar chest with a familiar hold on his body. Sehun couldn’t move away. Not when he was even closer to Junmyeon’s face now. The breath on his cheek made him lightheaded. 

Junmyeon was glaring at the door, his attention away from him. 

“Is this why you always lock the door when I’m over?” Sehun asked.

It took him a second to respond. “I do that rather someone is with me or not. I just don’t like how he barges in here.”

“Why does he do that to you?” Sehun asked him. “Are you two working together on something?”

“He needs me to write a letter of recommendation to get in the school I’m in. It’s required along with the application and transcript and he wants it now.” He explained. “I told him I’ll give it to him after I go on vacation but he wants it today and I’m not interested in being his whipping boy.”  
Sehun felt irked at that. He didn’t like the way his brother treated people as is, but to order Junmyeon around like that for such a selfish reason made him glare at the door for more than their interrupted cuddle section. 

“Junmyeon, open the door before I do it myself!” 

“He made himself a pair of keys to not only my bedroom door but to the house’s front door,” Junmyeon told him as his counted down from ten.

Sehun heard him get to five when the idea popped into his head.

“You really want to really piss him off?” Sehun asked him. He raised a brow at the odd request as he kept his eyes on the door.

Sehun took that as his yes before taking him by the chin and pulling him down to his reaching point, kissing him with hesitant. The counting faded into the distant background as Sehun let go of his face. He got lost in the movements, barely feeling the hand running up his side, sending electricity into his soul. He didn’t notice how his own hand was squeezing the older boy’s knee when the kiss deepen. 

Sehun tugged at his waist and pushed him back onto the floor. Sehun was officially on top of him now, still kissing him as he ran a hand over his chest, underneath his cream-colored sweatshirt. 

He moved bit down on his bottom lip and pulled it out softly and slowly as he pushed his groin down onto his, making Junmyeon moan out a sound that Sehun liked too much. He wanted more of that noise.

“Oh my God!” He heard his twin scream at the sight him before turning around to only see a running figure moving out of the room. He didn’t expect him to flee. He was expecting a screaming fit.

Sehun rested on his knees as Junmyeon sat back up. His hair was messy and his face was flushed with big bright eyes. Sehun noticed his sweatshirt was relieving some of his stomachs and his joggers were exposing his underwear brand line. He turned back to the door to make sure no one was there.

“I guess that did it.” Sehun breathed out. 

There was a harsh tug at his shirt. He turned to find Junmyeon smirking again as he brought him closer. “You’re not done yet, baby.” 

He kissed him again, picking up where he left off. They stopped once Jongin and Kyungsoo came into the room and threw pillows at them to stop, telling them to calm down their hormones. Sehun was just happy it wasn’t condoms and laughed it off with the three other boys. 

When he got home later, nothing happened. His parents acted normal around him as if they didn’t know. He wasn’t sure if that was the case, or that they just didn’t care. He didn’t know if his brother told them or not. He figured he didn’t since blackmail was more a value thing to hold over someone. Sehun decided to not care. He was happy for once. 

Later on that week, Junmyeon told him about the trip that he planned on going to with Jongin and Kyungsoo with some other friends. He asked Sehun if he wanted to come with them. Sehun didn’t know rather take it or go. He didn’t want to be too much too soon, but the pleading look in Junmyeon’s eyes made him give in and his big smile was enough of a reward for him to not regret it. 

They left that weekend, early in the morning, before anyone else in the house was up. Sehun didn’t tell his parents about it and just walked out of the door, getting into Junmyeon’s car without a second thought. 

The drive there was long but calm. Jongin and Kyungsoo were asleep in the backseats while Junmyeon drove on, holding his hand as he did so. No talking really took place, but Sehun never felt so good. He looked over to the other boy next to him and smiled without thought. This is all he wanted out of life. 

They arrived at the cabin they were renting on the river. It was a small little shack of some sort but it had lights and water and a view from the balcony that was the best sight ever. 

The two other guests arrived soon after, riding up in a blue convertible and blurring music out. One of them, the smaller one, was standing in the passenger seat, twerking and dabbing as the other tried to look cool in his big sunglasses. 

“Who’s are these two?” Sehun asked the group.

“This is Chanyeol and Baekhyun. They’re good friends of Kyungsoo who happen to live in the area.” Jongin answered. 

The boys parked the car and threw their arms up in the air. “D.O.!” The smaller one jumped from the car and called out.

“D.O.!” The taller one howled and held out the last vowel. 

“What does D.O. stand for?” Jongin asked him. 

“I’ll tell you later.” Kyungsoo pushed it off with a smile. 

The smaller one suddenly hips thrusts. “Dicks out for Kyungsoo!” 

“Is that what D.O. stands for?” Sehun asked, making the boys around him laugh. 

The smaller one hugged Kyungsoo. “It’s good to see you again, Kyungsoo” 

“Good to see you too, man.” Kyungsoo turned to the taller boy. “Chanyeol!”

“My man!” Chanyeol hugged him. Then he turned to his boyfriend. “Jongin! It’s good to see you again. It’s good to see that Kyungsoo still getting that good-good.” 

Sehun had to suck in his breath to prevent himself from laughing at the cringe that displayed on Junmyeon’s face. 

“Aye! You must be Jongin’s brother.” Baekhyun gathered. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Junmyeon the adult for this trip,” Jongin told them.

“How old are you?” Chanyeol asked. 

“Twenty-one.” 

“Oh, so you’re buying us beer later, right?” 

“Only if you behave.” Junmyeon joked with him. 

The group laughed as Sehun noticed a pair of eyes on him. They were too big for the small boy and reminded him of a puppy dog.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Sehun.” 

“He’s with Junmyeon. He’s a friend of ours from school.” Jongin explained.

Sehun smiled politely at him and stuck out his hand for a shake. Baekhyun laughed like a madman at the gesture. “Nah man. I’m a hugger.” 

Just then the small boy pulled him into a hug that nearly broke all his ribs. He let out a huff of pain and surprise as Chanyeol hugged him on top of that, calling out for love fest. The other boys laughed at him as he reached out for help from them. Junmyeon smirked as he was left helpless.

There were only two rooms in the house. One of them had two beds while the other only had one. Chanyeol argued with Kyungsoo on who should get the private room, saying that he and Baekhyun had been together longer while Kyungsoo said him and Jongin were less of a loud annoyance during sex. Junmyeon simply took Sehun’s hand and walked into the room without a second thought. He closed the door loudly to make the decision final and known. 

“So… that settles it?” Sehun asked him.

“If they really want me to buy them beer, then yeah. It's settled.” Junmyeon responded and Sehun thought he looked cute acting all superior.

The trip at the lake was short, only for the weekend, and uneventful considering that it rained most of the time. It left the six of them bored and longing for something fun to do. It was then when Baekhyun brought out the Uno cards and chaos broke out. Kyungsoo threatens to break the table if Chanyeol put down another reverse card, and nearly did when he did. Baekhyun also tried to convince people to choose the color he wanted by rubbing his foot along their legs underneath the table. He did it to Sehun who didn’t fall for it, keeping his expression emotionless as he settles down his blue card on top of the others.

“I’m sorry, but are you straight?” Baekhyun suddenly asked him.

“No.”

“Bi?” 

“No.”

“So you’re gay?”

“Fully, yes.”

“Then why aren’t you falling for my trick?” The group around them laughed at Baekhyun furious demand.

“Because I’m gay with him.” Sehun pointed to Junmyeon. 

“Oh!” The group laughed more. “I’m sorry.” 

“The fuck Baekhyun?” Chanyeol was laughing at him. 

“What? I’ve been doing it to Kyungsoo this whole time!”

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin scowled at him. “Are you cheating on me?!”

“Baekhyun, how could you?!” Chanyeol joined in. Sehun felt Junmyeon sigh beside him from the incoming chaos before him.

“I did it to win the game, baby! I did it for you! I did this for us!” Baekhyun faked sobbed. 

“I trusted you!” 

“Kyungsoo, why?!” 

“It wasn’t anything, Jongin!”

“Did you even ever love me?!” 

“Jongin, please!” 

“Why are we all yelling!?” Junmyeon asked them all.

“Can we just play Uno in peace?!” Kyungsoo asked. 

“Why can’t you stay faithful to me?!” Chanyeol cried.

“I said I was sorry baby!” Baekhyun screamed.

“What are we doing!?” Jongin questioned.

“What does D.O. really stand for?!” Sehun put his two-bit in.

Kyungsoo threw his cards at him as him as the group laughed and began to throw all the cards at each other. It soon became full-out brawl between everyone as a downpour of cards flew over everyone. Junmyeon grabbed him by the shoulders as they ducked down from the madness before them. 

“This is your fault!” Kyungsoo faked slapped Baekhyun who fell into the act perfectly, dramatically casting himself out on the sofa like he was brutally assaulted. 

“Don’t hit my man?” Chanyeol faked slapped Kyungsoo.

“Don’t hit my man, you dick!” Jongin hopped onto the table they were using for the game and faked slapped Chanyeol before turning to him and Junmyeon on the floor laughing at the scene.

“I need someone to hit me now! Sehun, hit me, you coward! Hit me!” Sehun simply took a nearby pillow and threw it at his face. “Don’t throw pillows at me, you wimp!” 

“Pillow fight!” Baekhyun roared over the group. Feathers and cards soon began to be tossed all over as the four boys wrestle. Junmyeon was laughing so hard he pulled Sehun to the floor with him, both of them trying to breathe. Sehun looked over to Junmyeon, with feathers and cards around him and with the dim outside light from the balcony view behind him. He was smiling ear to ear and his eyes were teary. He was beautiful beyond words. 

Once the mess was picked up and everyone called it a day, they ordered pizza for dinner and was able to eat the meal without a food fight. Chanyeol demanded more beer and Jongin complained about the lack of chicken, but that was all that came from it. They went to bed after that, since it was their last night in the cabin before leaving tomorrow morning. 

Junmyeon was already packed when Sehun got out of the shower they shared with rest of the boys. He dressed quickly and laid in bed. The older boy soon joined him, making him turn onto his other side to face him. The bed was only a twin and they struggled to fit onto it with that much space between them. Junmyeon always insists they should get as close as they could and Sehun suddenly knew why he wanted the private room so much.

“This was a lot of fun,” Sehun told him with his eyes closed. He was tired but wanted to be near him. 

“It was. It was stressful but fun.” Junmyeon snuggled up to him, with his arms snaking around his waist and pulling him close. Sehun felt his body heat and smiled into his chest.

“I’m happy you invited me.” 

“Why won’t I?”

“I don’t know…” Sehun didn’t know how to approach this topic with him, considering that they haven’t talked about the make-out session since it happened. Jongin introduced them as a couple, but he didn’t really know. Junmyeon hadn’t formally announced it and Sehun was afraid of any kind of confrontation.

It was quiet between them, the lights were off and Sehun felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep in Junmyeon’s arms. 

“Hey,” Junmyeon suddenly whispered to him to gain his attention. Sehun hummed in response. “Can I tell you a secret?” 

Sehun hummed again in acceptance. Junmyeon moved his head to his and got to his ear and whispered into it with heated air and low tone. “I like you.” 

Sehun felt smiled at the cute little confession. 

“I really like you.” Junmyeon egged on as he began to squirm and giggled in his arms. “No. Don’t leave me.” 

Sehun giggled more as he moved to face the boy again. Junmyeon looked down at him with his arm resting against his head. Sehun was looking up to him, trying to act cute by hiding under the covers before Junmyeon pulled them off him. He whined at the sudden coldness on his back and snuggled closer to Junmyeon for warmth. 

“Don’t be mean to me.” He pouted.

“Why not?” 

“Because.” Sehun tried his best cute voice and Junmyeon laughed at him.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Sehun placed his hands over the bent arm he was resting on and looked up to him through the stands of his hair. He was smiling fondly down at him like he adores him. “ God, you’re cute.”

Sehun took his hand up to his chin and pulled him down slowly towards him, Junmyeon falling into the command, and connected their lips for a soft kiss. It was long and sweet. It was pure and innocent.

“I really like you, too,” Sehun whispered to him, knowing what it all meant in the underlying emotions. He pulled him back in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to the loudest member of Exo. Please, don't ever stop screaming.


End file.
